Limit this search to....

Ethnic Boundary Making: Institutions, Power, Networks
Contributor(s): Wimmer, Andreas (Author)
ISBN: 0199927391     ISBN-13: 9780199927395
Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA
OUR PRICE:   $42.74  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: January 2013
Qty:
Temporarily out of stock - Will ship within 2 to 5 weeks
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Social Science | Ethnic Studies - General
- Social Science | Discrimination & Race Relations
- Social Science | Anthropology - Cultural & Social
Dewey: 305.8
LCCN: 2012020310
Series: Oxford Studies in Culture and Politics
Physical Information: 0.9" H x 6.1" W x 9.1" (0.95 lbs) 304 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Why does ethnicity matter in certain societies and contexts but not in others? Drawing on the boundary-making perspective first championed by anthropologist Fredrick Barth, Andreas Wimmer introduces a comparative analytic of ethnic group formation. He analyzes how and why ethnic boundaries are
sometimes associated with inequality and exclusion, with political salience and public debate, with enduring loyalty and thick identities, while in other cases ethnicity and race do not structure the allocation of resources, invite little political passion, and represent only secondary aspects of
individual identity. Wimmer argues that three key mechanisms influence the dynamics and consequences of ethnic boundary-making: institutional incentives, the distribution of power between individuals, and the reach of pre-existing social networks.

Cautioning against seeing ethnicity wherever one looks, Wimmer argues for disentangling ethnic and non-ethnic group formation processes and proposes a set of research designs, analytical principles, and strategies of interpretation appropriate for the task. Several qualitative and quantitative
studies then apply this agenda: on how local residents in immigrant neighborhoods draw symbolic boundaries against each other, on the ethnic and racial composition of friendship networks, and how ethnic closure influences cultural values. By overcoming essentialist approaches to ethnicity while
avoiding the pitfalls of excessive constructivism, Ethnic Boundary Making offers a new perspective on a topic of vital interest to sociologists, anthropologists, and ethnic studies scholars.